I。
SCENE:Inanupperchamberofaboarding—houseinMelanchthonPlace，Boston，amature，plainyounglady，witheveryappearanceofestablishingherselfintheroomforthefirsttime，movesabout，bestowinglittletouchesofdecorationhereandthere，andtalkingwithanotheryounglady，whosevoicecomesthroughtheopendoorwayofaninnerroom。
MISSETHELREED，fromwithin:\"Whatintheworldareyoudoing，Nettie？\"
MISSHENRIETTASPAULDING:\"Oh，stickingupahouseholdgodortwo。
Whatareyoudoing？\"
MISSREED:\"Despairing。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Still？\"
MISSREED，tragically:\"Still！Howsoondidyouexpectmetostop？
Iamhereonthesofa，whereIflungmyselftwohoursago，andI
don’tthinkIshallevergetup。ThereisnoreasonWHYIevershould。\"
MISSSPAULDING，suggestively:\"Dinner。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，dinner！Dinner，toabrokenheart！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Idon’tbelieveyourheartisbroken。\"
MISSREED:\"ButItellyouitis！Ioughttoknowwhenmyownheartisbroken，Ishouldhope。Whatmakesyouthinkitisn’t？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Oh，it’shappenedsooften！\"
MISSREED:\"Butthisisarealcase。Yououghttofeelmyforehead。
It’sashot！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Yououghttogetupandhelpmeputthisroomtorights，andthenyouwouldfeelbetter。\"
MISSREED:\"No；Ishouldfeelworse。Theideaofhouseholdgodsmakesmesick。SylvandeitiesarewhatIwant；thegreatgodPanamongthecat—tailsandarrow—headsinthe’ma’sh’atPonkwasset；thedryadsofthebirchwoods——therearenooaks；thenymphsthathaunttheheightsandhollowsofthedearoldmountain；the\"—
MISSSPAULDING:\"Wha—a—at？Ican’thearawordyousay。\"
MISSREED:\"That’sbecauseyoukeepfussingaboutso。Whydon’tyoubequiet，ifyouwanttohear？\"Sheliftshervoicetoitshighestpitch，withapausefordistinctnessbetweenthewords:\"I’mheart—
brokenfor——Ponkwasset。Thedryads——ofthe——birchwoods。Thenymphs——andthegreat——god——Pan——inthereeds——bytheriver。Andall——that——sortof——thing！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Youknowverywellyou’renot。\"
MISSREED:\"I’mnot？What’sthereasonI’mnot？Then，whatamI
heart—brokenfor？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"You’renotheart—brokenatall。Youknowverywellthathe’llcallbeforewe’vebeenheretwenty—fourhours。\"
MISSREED:\"Who？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"ThegreatgodPan。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，howcruelyouare，tomockmeso！Comeinhere，andsympathizealittle！Do，Nettie。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"No；youcomeouthereandutilizealittle。I’mactingforyourbestgood，astheysayatPonkwasset。\"
MISSREED:\"Whentheywanttobedisagreeable！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Ifthisroomisn’tinorderbythetimehecalls，you’llbeeverlastinglydisgraced。\"
MISSREED:\"I’mthatnow。Ican’tbemoreso——there’sthatcomfort。
Whatmakesyouthinkhe’llcall？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Becausehe’sagentleman，andwillwanttoapologize。Hebehavedveryrudelytoyou。\"
MISSREED:\"No，Nettie；_I_behavedrudelytoHIM。Yes！Besides，ifhebehavedrudely，hewasnogentleman。It’sacontradictioninterms，don’tyousee？ButI’lltellyouwhatI’mgoingtodoifhecomes。I’mgoingtoshowaproperspiritforonceinmylife。I’mgoingtorefusetoseehim。You’vegottoseehim。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Nonsense！\"
MISSREED:\"Whynonsense？Oh，why？Expound！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Becausehewasn’trudetome，andhedoesn’twanttoseeme。BecauseI’mplain，andyou’repretty。\"
MISSREED:\"I’mNOT！Youknowitperfectlywell。I’mhideous。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"BecauseI’mpoor，andyou’reapersonofindependentproperty。\"
MISSREED:\"DEPENDENTproperty，Ishouldcallit:justenoughtobeuselesson！Butthat’sinsultingtoHIM。Howcanyousayit’sbecauseIhavealittlemoney？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Well，then，Iwon’t。Itakeitback。I’llsayit’sbecauseyou’reyoung，andI’mold。\"
MISSREED:\"You’reNOTold。You’reasyoungasanybody，NettieSpaulding。AndyouknowI’mnotyoung；I’mtwenty—seven，ifI’maday。I’mjustdroppingintothegrave。ButIcan’targuewithyou，milesoffso，anylonger。\"MissReedappearsattheopendoor，dragginglanguidlyafterhertheshawlwhichshehadevidentlydrawnroundheronthesofa；herfairhairisalittledisordered，andshepressesitintoshapewithonehandasshecomesforward；alovelyflushvieswithaheavenlypallorinhercheeks；shelooksalittlepensiveinthearchingeyebrows，andalittlehumorousaboutthedimpledmouth。\"NowIcanprovethatyouareentirelywrong。Where—
—wereyou？——Thisroomisratheranimprovementovertheonewehadlastwinter。Thereismoreofaview\"——shegoestothewindow——\"ofthehousesacrossthePlace；andIalwaysthinktheswellfrontgivesaprettyshapetoaroom。I’msorrythey’vestoppedbuildingthem。
Yourpianogoesverynicelyintothatlittlealcove。Yes，we’requitepalatial。And，onthewhole，I’mgladthere’snofireplace。
It’sapleasureattimes；butforthemostpartit’savanityandavexation，gettingdustandashesovereverything。Yes；afterall，givemethegoodold—fashioned，clean，convenientregister！Ugh！Myfeetarelikeice。\"Shepullsaneasy—chairuptotheregisterinthecorneroftheroom，andpushesopenitsvalveswiththetoeofherslipper。Asshesettlesherselfluxuriouslyinthechair，andpoisesherfeetdaintilyovertheregister:\"Ah，thisissomethinglike！HenriettaSpaulding，ma’am！DidIevertellyouthatyouwerethebestfriendIhaveintheworld？\"
MISSSPAULDING，whocontinuesherworkofarrangingtheroom:
\"Often。\"
MISSREED:\"Didyoueverbelieveit？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Never。\"
MISSREED:\"Why？\"
MISSSPAULDING，thoughtfullyregardingavasewhichsheholdsinherhand，afterseveraltimesshiftingitfromabrackettothecornerofherpianoandback:\"IwishIcouldtellwhereyoudolookbest！\"
MISSREED，leaningforwardwistfully，withherhandsclaspedandrestingonherknees:\"IwishyouwouldtellmeWHYyoudon’tbelieveyou’rethebestfriendIhaveintheworld。\"
MISSSPAULDING，finallyplacingthevaseonthebracket:\"Becauseyou’vesaidsotoooften。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，that’snoreason！Icanprovetoyouthatyouare。
Whoelsebutyouwouldhavetakeninahomelessandfriendlesscreaturelikeme，andletherstaybotheringroundindemoralizingidleness，whileyouwereseriouslyteachingtheyoungideahowtodrubthepiano？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Anybodywhowantedaroom—mateasmuchasIdid，andcouldhavefoundonewillingtopaymorethanhershareofthelodging。\"
MISSREED，thoughtfully:\"Doyouthinkso，Henrietta？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Iknowso。\"
MISSREED:\"Andyou’renotafraidthatyouwrongyourself？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Nottheleast。\"
MISSREED:\"Well，beitso——astheysayinnovels。Iwillnotcontradictyou；IwillnotsayyouaremyBESTfriend；IwillmerelysaythatyouaremyONLYfriend。Comehere，Henrietta。Drawupyourchair，andputyourlittlehandinmine。\"
MISSSPAULDING，withseveredistrust:\"Whatdoyouwant，EthelReed？\"
MISSREED:\"Iwant——Iwant——totalkitoverwithyou。\"
MISSSPAULDING，recoiling:\"Iknewit！Well，now，we’vetalkeditoverenough；we’vetalkeditovertillthere’snothingleftofit。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，there’severythingleft！Itremainsinallitsoriginalenormity。Perhapsweshallgetsomenewlightuponit。\"
SheextendsapleadinghandtowardsMissSpaulding。\"Come，Henrietta，myonlyfriend，shake！——asthe’goodIndians’say。LetyourEthelpourherhackneyedsorrowsintoyourbosom。Suchanuncomfortableimage，italwaysseems，doesn’tit，pouringsorrowsintobosoms！Come！\"
MISSSPAULDING，decidedly:\"No，Iwon’t！Andyouneedn’ttrywheedlinganylonger。Iwon’tsympathizewithyouonthatbasisatall。\"
MISSREED:\"WhatshallItry，then，ifyouwon’tletmetrywheedling？\"
MISSSPAULDING，goingtothepianoandopeningit:\"Trycourage；tryself—respect。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，dear！whenIhaven’tamorselofeither。Areyougoingtopractise，youcruelmaid？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"OfcourseIam。It’shalf—pastfour，andifI
don’tdoitnowIsha’n’tbepreparedto—morrowforMissRobins:shetakesthispiece。\"
MISSREED:\"Well，well，perhapsit’sallforthebest。Ifmusicbethefoodof——umph—ump！——youknowwhat！——playon。\"Theybothlaugh，andMissSpauldingpushesbackalittlefromthepiano，andwheelstowardherfriend，lettingonehandrestslightlyonthekeys。
MISSSPAULDING:\"EthelReed，you’rethemostridiculousgirlintheworld。\"
MISSREED:\"Correct！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"AndIdon’tbelieveyoueverwereinlove，oreverwillbe。\"
MISSREED:\"Ah，thereyouwrongme，Henrietta！Ihavebeen，andI
shallbe——lotsoftimes。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Well，whatdoyouwanttosaynow？Youmusthurry，forIcan’tloseanymoretime。\"
MISSREED:\"Iwillfreemymindwithneatnessanddespatch。I
simplywishtogooverthewholeaffair，fromAlfredtoOmaha；andyou’vegottoletmetalkasmuchslangandnonsenseasIwant。AndthenI’llskipallthedetailsIcan。Willyou？\"
MISSSPAULDING，withimpatientpatience:\"Oh，Isupposeso！\"
MISSREED:\"That’sverysweetofyou，thoughyoudon’tlookit。
Now，wherewasI？Oh，yes，doyouthinkitwasforth—puttingatall，toaskhimifhewouldgivemethelessons？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Itdependsuponwhyyouaskedhim。\"
MISSREED:\"Iaskedhimfrom——from——Letmesee；Iaskedhimbecause—
—from——Yes，Isayitboldly；Iaskedhimfromanenthusiasmforart，andasincerewishtolearntheuseofoil，ashecalledit。Yes！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Areyousure？\"
MISSREED:\"Sure？Well，wewillsaythatIam，forthesakeofargument。And，havingsecuredthisbasis，thequestioniswhetherI
wasn’tboundtoofferhimpayattheend，andwhetherhewasn’twrongtotakemydoingsoindudgeon。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Yes，Ithinkhewaswrong。Andthetermsofhisrefusalwereveryungentlemanly。Heoughttoapologizemostamplyandhumbly。\"AtacertainexpressioninMissReed’sface，sheadds，withseverity:\"Unlessyou’rekeepingbackthemainpoint。Youusuallydo。Areyou？\"
MISSREED:\"No，no。I’vetoldyoueverything——everything！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"ThenIsay，asIsaidfromthebeginning，thathebehavedverybadly。Itwasveryawkwardandverypainful，butyou’vereallynothingtoblameyourselffor。\"
MISSREED，ruefully:\"No—o—o！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Whatdoyoumeanbythatsortof’No’？\"
MISSREED:\"Nothing。\"
MISSSPAULDING，sternly:\"Yes，youdo，Ethel。\"
MISSREED:\"Idon’t，really。Whatmakesyou’thinkIdo？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Itsoundedverydishonest。\"
MISSREED:\"Didit？Ididn’tmeanitto。\"Herfriendbreaksdownwithalaugh，whileMissReedpreservesademurecountenance。
MISSSPAULDING:\"WhatAREyoukeepingback？\"
MISSREED:\"Nothingatall——lessthannothing！Ineverthoughtitwasworthmentioning。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Areyoutellingmethetruth？\"
MISSREED:\"I’mtellingyouthetruthandsomethingmore。Youcan’taskbetterthanthat，canyou？\"
MISSSPAULDING，turningtohermusicagain:\"Certainlynot。\"
MISSREED:inapatheticwail:\"OHenrietta！doyouabandonmethus？Well，Iwilltellyou，heartlessgirl！I’veonlykeptitbacktillnowbecauseitwassoextremelymortifyingtomyprideasanartist——asastudentofoil。Willyouhearme？\"
MISSSPAULDING，beginningtoplay:\"No。\"
MISSREED，withburlesquewildness:\"Youshall！\"MissSpauldinginvoluntarilydesists。\"Therewasamoment——afatalmoment——whenhesaidhethoughtheoughttotellmethatifIfoundoilamusingI
couldgoon；butthathedidn’tbelieveIshouldeverlearntouseit，andhecouldn’tletmetakelessonsfromhimwiththeexpectationthatIshould。There！\"
MISSSPAULDING，withawfulreproach:\"Andyoucallthatlessthannothing？I’vealmostamindnevertospeaktoyouagain，Ethel。HowCOULDyoudeceivemeso？\"
MISSREED:\"Wasitreallydeceiving？_I_shouldn’tcallitso。AndIneededyoursympathysomuch，andIknewIshouldn’tgetitunlessyouthoughtIwasaltogetherintheright。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Youarealtogetherinthewrong！Andit’sYOUthatoughttoapologizetoHIM——onyourbendedknees。HowCOULDyouofferhimmoneyafterthat？Iwonderatyou，Ethel！\"
MISSREED:\"Why——don’tyousee，Nettie？——Ididkeepontakingthelessonsofhim。Ididfindoilamusing——ortheoilist——andIkepton。OfcourseIhadto，offthereinafarmhousefullofladyboarders，andhetheonlygentlemanshortofCrawford’s。Strike，buthearme，HenriettaSpaulding！WhatwasItodoaboutthehalf—dozenlessonsIhadtakenbeforehetoldmeIshouldneverlearntouseoil？WasItooffertopayhimforthese，andnotfortherest；orwasItotreatthewholeseriesasgratuitous？Iusedtolieawakethinkingaboutit。I’vegotlittletact，butIcouldn’tfindanywayoutofthetrouble。Itwasabox——yes，aboxofthedeepestdye！
Andthewholeaffairhavinggottobe——somethingelse，don’tyouknow？——madeitalltheworse。Andifhe’donly——only——Buthedidn’t。
Notasyllable，notabreath！AndthereIwas。IHADtoofferhimthemoney。Andit’salmostkilledme——thewayhetookmyofferingit，andnowthewayyoutakeit！Andit’sallofapiece。\"MissReedsuddenlysnatchesherhandkerchieffromherpocket，andburiesherfaceinit。——\"Oh，dear——oh，dear！Oh！——hu，hu，hu！\"
MISSSPAULDING，relenting:\"Itwasawkward。\"
MISSREED:\"Awkward！YouseemtothinkthatbecauseIcarrythingsofflightlyIhavenofeeling。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"YouknowIdon’tthinkthat，Ethel。\"
MISSREED，pursuingheradvantage:\"Idon’tknowitfromyou，Nettie。I’vetriedandTRIEDtopassitoffasajoke，andtotreatitassomethingfunny；butIcantellyouit’snojokeatall。\"
MISSSPAULDING，sympathetically:\"Isee，dear。\"
MISSREED:\"It’snotthatIcareforhim\"—
MISSSPAULDING:\"Why，ofcourse。\"
MISSREED:\"ForIdon’tintheleast。Heishorrideveryway:
blunt，andrude，andhorrid。Inevercaredforhim。ButIcareformyself！Hehasputmeinthepositionofhavingdoneanunkindthing——anunladylikething——whenIwasonlydoingwhatIhadtodo。
Whyneedhehavetakenitthewayhedid？Whycouldn’thehavesaidpolitelythathecouldn’tacceptthemoneybecausehehadn’tearnedit？EvenTHATwouldhavebeenmortifyingenough。Buthemustgoandbesoviolent，andrushoff，and——Oh，Inevercouldhavetreatedanybodyso！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Notunlessyouwereveryfondofthem。\"
MISSREED:\"What？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Notunlessyouwereveryfondofthem。\"
MISSREED，puttingawayherhandkerchief:\"Oh，nonsense，Nettie！Henevercaredanythingforme，orhecouldn’thaveactedso。Butnomatterforthat。Hehasfixedeverythingsothatitcanneverbegotstraight——neverintheworld。Itwilljusthavetoremainahideousmassof——of——_I_don’tknowwhat；andIhavesimplygottoonwitheringwithdespairatthepointwhereIleftoff。ButIdon’tcare！That’sonecomfort。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Idon’tbelievehe’llletyouwitherlong，Ethel。\"
MISSREED:\"He’sletmewitherfortwenty—fourhoursalready！Butit’snothingtome，now，howlongheletsmewither。I’mperfectlysatisfiedtohavetheaffairremainasitis。Iamintheright，andifhecomesIshallrefusetoseehim。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Oh，no，youwon’t，Ethel！\"
MISSREED:\"Yes，Ishall。Ishallreceivehimverycoldly。Iwon’tlistentoanyexcusefromhim。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Oh，yes，youwill，Ethel！\"
MISSREED:\"No，Ishallnot。Ifhewishesmetolistenhemustbeginbyhumblinghimselfinthedust——yes，thedust，Nettie！I
won’ttakeanythingshortofit。IinsistthatheshallrealizethatIhavesuffered。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Perhapshehassufferedtoo！\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，HEsuffered！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Youknowthathewasperfectlydevotedtoyou。\"
MISSREED:\"Heneversaidso。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Perhapshedidn’tdare。\"
MISSREED:\"Hedaredtobeveryinsolenttome。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Andyouknowyoulikedhimverymuch。\"
MISSREED:\"Iwon’tletyousaythat，NettieSpaulding。IDIDN’T
likehim。Irespectedandadmiredhim；butIdidn’tLIKEhim。Hewillcomenearme；butifhedoeshehastobeginby——by——Letmesee，whatshallImakehimbeginbydoing？\"Shecastsuphereyesforinspirationwhilesheleansforwardovertheregister。\"Yes，Iwill！
Hehasgottobeginbytakingthatmoney！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Ethel，youwouldn’tputthataffrontuponasensitiveandhigh—spiritedman！\"
MISSREED:\"Wouldn’tI？YouwaitandSEE，MissSpaulding！Heshalltakethemoney，andheshallsignareceiptforit。I’lldrawupthereceiptnow，soastohaveitready，andIshallaskhimtosignittheverymomentheentersthisdoor——theveryinstant！\"Shetakesaportfoliofromthetablenearher，withoutrising，andwrites:
\"’ReceivedfromMissEthelReedonehundredandtwenty—fivedollars，infull，fortwenty—fivelessonsinoil—painting。’There——whenMr。
OliverRansomhassignedthislittledocumenthemaybegintotalk；
notbefore！\"Sheleansbackinherchairwithanairofpitilessdetermination。
MISSSPAULDING:\"But，Ethel，youdon’tmeantomakehimtakemoneyforthelessonshegaveyouafterhetoldyouyoucouldn’tlearnanything？\"
MISSREED，afteramoment’spause:\"Yes，Ido。Thisistopunishhim。Idon’twishforjusticenow；Iwishforvengeance！AtfirstI
wouldhavecompromisedonthesixlessons，oronnoneatall，ifhehadbehavednicely；butafterwhat’shappenedIshallinsistuponpayinghimforeverylesson，soastomakehimfeelthatthewholething，fromfirsttolast，wasapurelybusinesstransactiononmypart。Yes，aPURELY——BUSINESS——TRANSACTION！\"
MISSSPAULDING，turningtohermusic:\"ThenI’vegotnothingmoretosaytoyou，EthelReed。\"
MISSREED:\"Idon’tsaybutwhat，afterhe’stakenthemoneyandsignedthereceipt，I’lllistentoanythingelsehe’sgottosay，verywillingly。\"MissSpauldingmakesnoanswer，butbeginstoplaywithascientificabsorption，feelingherwayfitfullythroughthenewpiece，whileMissReed，seatedbytheregister，trifleswiththebookshehastakenfromthetable。
II。
TheinterioroftheroomofMissSpauldingandMissReedremainsinview，whilethescenediscloses，ontheothersideofthepartitionwallinthesamehouse，thebachelorapartmentofMr。SamuelGrinnidge。Mr。Grinnidgeinhisdressing—gownandslippers，withhispipeinhismouth，hastheeffectofhavingjustcomein；hisfriendMr。OliverRansomstandsatthewindow，staringoutintotheNovemberweather。
GRINNIDGE:\"Howlonghaveyoubeenwaitinghere？\"
RANSOM:\"Tenminutes——tenyears。HowshouldIknow？\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Well，Idon’tknowwhoelseshould。Getbackto—day？\"
RANSOM:\"Lastnight。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Well，takeoffyourcoat，andpulluptotheregister，andwarmyourpoorfeet。\"Heputshishandoutovertheregister。
\"Confoundit！somebody’sgottheregisteropeninthenextroom！Yousee，onepipecomesupfromthefurnaceandbranchesintoaVjustunderthefloor，andprofessestoheatbothrooms。Butitdon’t。
Therewasafellowintherelastwinterwhousedtogetallmyheat。
Usedtogooutandleavehisregisteropen，andI’dcomeinherejustbeforedinnerandfindthisplaceascoldasabarn。Wehadarunningfightofitallwinter。Themanwhogothisregisteropenfirstinthemorninggotalltheheatfortheday，foritneverturnedtheotherwaywhenitstartedinonedirection。Usedtoalmostsuffocate——warm，muggydays——maintainingmyrights。Somepiano—pounderintherethiswinter，itseems。Hear？Andshehasn’tlostanytimeinlearningthetrickoftheregister。Whatkeptyousolateinthecountry？\"
RANSOM，afteranabsent—mindedpause:\"Grinnidge，Iwishyouwouldgivemesomeadvice。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Youcanhaveallyouwantofitatthemarketprice。\"
RANSOM:\"Idon’tmeanyourlegaladvice。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"I’msorry。Whathaveyoubeendoing？\"
RANSOM:\"I’vebeenmakinganassofmyself。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Wasn’tthatrathersuperfluous？\"
RANSOM:\"Ifyouplease，yes。Butnow，ityou’recapableoflisteningtomewithoutanyfurtherdisplayofyourcross—examinationwit，Ishouldliketotellyouhowithappened。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Iwilldomybesttoveilmybrilliancy。Goon。\"
RANSOM:\"IwentuptoPonkwassetearlyinSeptemberforthefoliage。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"AndstaidtilllateinOctober。Theremusthavebeenareasonforthat。Whatwashername？Foliage？\"
RANSOM，cominguptothecornerofthechimney—piece，nearwhichhisfriendsits，andtalkingtohimdirectlyovertheregister:\"Ithinkyou’llhavetogetalongwithoutthenameforthepresent。I’lltellyoubyandby。\"AsMr。Ransompronouncesthesewords，MissReed，onhersideofthepartition，liftsherheadwithastartledair，and，afteramomentofvaguecircumspection，listenskeenly。\"Butshewasbeautiful。Shewasablonde，andshehadtheloveliesteyes——eyes，youknow，thatcouldbefunnyortender，justasshechose——thekindofeyesIalwaysliked。\"MissReedleadsforwardovertheregister。
\"Shehadoneofthosefacesthatalwaysleaveyouindoubtwhetherthey’relaughingatyou，andsokeepyouinwholesomesubjection；butyoufeelcertainthatthey’reGOOD，andthatiftheydidhurtyoubylaughingatyou，they’dlooksorryforyouafterward。Whenshewalkedyousawwhatanexquisitecreatureshewas。ItalwaysmadememadtothinkIcouldn’tPAINTherwalk。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Isupposeyousawagooddealofherwalk。\"
RANSOM:\"Yes；wewereoffinthewoodsandfieldshalfthetimetogether。\"Hetakesaturntowardsthewindow。
MISSREED，suddenlyshuttingtheregisteronherside:\"Oh！\"
MISSSPAULDING，lookingupfromhermusic:\"Whatisit，Ethel？\"
MISSREED:\"Nothing，nothing；I——I——thoughtitwasgettingtoowarm。
Goon，dear；don’tletmeinterruptyou。\"Afteramomentofheroicself—denialshesoftlypressestheregisteropenwithherfoot。
RANSOM，comingbacktotheregister:\"Itallbeganinthatway。I
hadthegoodfortuneonedaytorescueherfroma——cow。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，forshame！\"
MISSSPAULDING，desistingfromherpiano:\"WhatISthematter？\"
MISSREED，clappingtheregisterto:\"Thisridiculousbook！Butdon’t——don’tmindme，Nettie。\"Breathlessly:\"Go——go——on！\"MissSpauldingresumes，andagainMissReedsoftlypressestheregisteropen。
RANSOM，afterapause:\"Thecowwasgrazing，andhadnomorethoughtofhookingMiss——\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，Ididn’tsupposeheWOULD！——Goon，Nettie，goon！
Thehero——SUCHagoose！\"
RANSOM:\"Idroveherawaywithmycamp—stool，andMiss——theyounglady——wasasgratefulasifIhadrescuedherfromamenagerieofwildanimals。Iwalkedhomewithhertothefarmhouse，andthetroublebeganatonce。\"PantomimeofindignantprotestandburlesquemenaceonthepartofMissReed。\"Therewasn’tanotherwellwomaninthehouse，exceptherfriendMissSpaulding，whowasratheroldandratherplain。\"Hetakesanotherturntothewindow。
MISSREED:\"Oh！\"Sheshutstheregister，butinstantlyopensitagain。\"Louder，Nettie。\"
MISSSPAULDING，inastonishment:\"What？\"
MISSREED:\"DidIspeak？Ididn’tknowit。I\"—
MISSSPAULDING，desistingfrompractice:\"Whatisthatstrange，hollow，rumbling，mumblingkindofnoise？\"
MISSREED，softlyclosingtheregisterwithherfoot:\"Idon’thearanystrange，hollow，rumbling，mumblingkindofnoise。DoyouhearitNOW？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"No。ItwastheBrightonwhistle，probably。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，verylikely。\"AsMissSpauldingturnsagaintoherpracticeMissReedre—openstheregisterandlistensagain。Alittleintervalofsilenceensues，whileRansomlightsacigarette。
GRINNIDGE:\"Soyousoughtopportunitiesofrescuingherfromothercows？\"
RANSOM，returning:\"Thatwasn’tnecessary。Theyoungladywassoimpressedbymybehavior，thatsheaskedifIwouldgivehersomelessonsintheuseofoil。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Shethoughtifsheknewhowtopaintpictureslikeyoursshewouldn’tneedanyonetodrivethecowsaway。\"
RANSOM:\"Don’tbefarcical，Grinnidge。Thatsortofthingwilldowithsomevictimonthewitness—standwhocan’thelphimself。OfcourseIsaidIwould，andwewereoffhalfthetimetogether，paintingtheloveliestandloneliestbitsaroundPonkwasset。Itallwentonverywell，tillonedayIfeltboundinconsciencetotellherthatIdidn’tthinkshewouldeverlearntopaint，andthat——ifshewasseriousaboutitshe’dbetterdropitatonce，forshewaswastinghertime。\"
GRINNIDGE，gettinguptofillhispipe:\"Thatwasapleasantthingtodo。\"
RANSOM:\"Itoldherthatifitamusedher，tokeepon；Iwouldbeonlytoogladtogiveherall——thehintsIcould，butthatIoughtn’ttoencourageher。Sheseemedagooddealhurt。IfanciedatthetimethatshethoughtIwastiredofhavingherwithmesomuch。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，DIDyou，indeed！\"ToMissSpaulding，whobendsanastonishedglanceuponherfromthepiano:\"ThemaninthisbookisthemostCONCEITEDcreature，Nettie。Playchords——somethingverysubdued——ah！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Whatareyoutalkingabout，Ethel？\"
RANSOM:\"Thatwasatnight；butthenextdayshecameupsmiling，andsaidthatifIdidn’tmindshewouldkeepon——foramusement；shewasn’tabitdiscouraged。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh！——Goon，Nettie；don’tletmyoutburstsinterruptyou。\"
RANSOM:\"Iusedtofancysometimesthatshewasalittlesweetonme。\"
MISSREED:\"Youwretch！——Oh，scales，Nettie！Playscales！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"EthelReed，areyoucrazy？\"
Ransom，afterathoughtfulmoment:\"Well，soitwentonforthenextsevenoreightweeks。Whenweweren’tsketchinginthemeadows，oronthemountain—side，orintheoldpuntonthepond，wewerewalkingupanddownthefarmhousepiazzatogether。SheusedtoreadtomewhenIwasatwork。Shehadaheavenlyvoice，Grinnidge。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，yousilly，sillything！——Reallythisbookmakesmesick，Nettie。\"
RANSOM:\"Well，thelongandtheshortofitwas，Iwashit——HARD，andIlostallcourage。YouknowhowIam，Grinnidge。\"
MISSREED，softly:\"Oh，poorfellow！\"
RANSOM:\"SoIletthetimegoby，andattheendIhadn’tsaidanything。\"
MISSREED:\"No，sir！YouHADN’T！\"
MISSSPAULDINGgraduallyceasestoplay，andfixesherattentionwhollyuponMissReed，whobendsforwardovertheregisterwithanintenselyexcitedface。
RANSOM:\"Thensomethinghappenedthatmademeglad，fortwenty—fourhoursatleast，thatIhadn’tspoken。Shesentmethemoneyfortwenty—fivelessons。ImaginehowIfelt，Grinnidge！WhatcouldI
supposebutthatshehadbeenquietlybidinghertime，andstoringupherresentmentformyhavingtoldhershecouldn’tlearntopaint，tillshecouldpaymebackwithinterestinonesupremeinsult？\"
MISSREED，inalowvoice:\"Oh，howcouldyouthinksuchacruel，vulgarthing？\"MissSpauldingleavesthepiano，andsoftlyapproachesher，whereshehassunkonherkneesbesidetheregister。
RANSOM:\"Itwastantamounttotellingmethatshehadbeenamusingherselfwithmeinsteadofmylessons。Itremandedourwholeassociation，whichIhadgottothinkingsoromantic，totherelationofteacherandpupil。Itwasasnub——aheartless，killingsnub；andIcouldn’tseeitinanyotherlight。\"Ransomwalksawaytothewindow，andlooksout。
MISSREED，flingingherselfbackwardfromtheregister，andhidingherfaceinherhands:\"Oh，itwasn’t！itwasn’t！itwasn’t！Howcouldyouthinkso？\"
MISSSPAULDING，rushingforward，andcatchingherfriendinherarms:
\"Whatisthematterwithyou，EthelReed？Whatareyoudoinghere，overtheregister？Areyoutryingtosuffocateyourself？Haveyoutakenleaveofyoursenses？\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Ourfairfriendontheothersideofthewallseemstobeontherampage。\"
MISSSPAULDING，shuttingtheregisterwithaviolentclash:\"Ugh！
howhotitishere！\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Doesn’tlikeyourconversation，apparently。\"
MISSREED，franticallypressingforwardtoopentheregister:\"Oh，don’tshutit，Nettie，dear！IfyoudoIshalldie！Do—o—n’tshuttheregister！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Don’tshutit？Why，we’vegotalltheheatofthefurnaceintheroomnow。Surelyyoudon’twantanymore？\"
MISSREED:\"No，no；notanymore。But——but——Oh，dear！whatshallI
do？\"Shestillstrugglesintheembraceofherfriend。
GRINNIDGE，remainingquietlyattheregister，whileRansomwalksawaytothewindow:\"Well，whatdidyoudo？\"
MISSREED:\"There，there！They’recommencingagain！DOopenit，Nettie。IWILLhaveitopen！\"Shewrenchesherselffree，anddashestheregisteropen。
GRINNIDGE:\"Ah，she’sopeneditagain。\"
MissReed，inastage—whisper:\"That’stheotherone！\"
RANSOM，fromthewindow:\"Do？I’lltellyouwhatIdid。\"
MISSREED:\"That’sOl——Mr。Ransom。And，oh，Ican’tmakeoutwhathe’ssaying！Hemusthavegoneawaytotheothersideoftheroom——
andit’satthemostimportantpoint！\"
MISSSPAULDING，inanawfulundertone:\"WasthatthehollowrumblingIheard？Andhaveyoubeenlisteningattheregistertowhatthey’vebeensaying？OETHEL！\"
MISSREED:\"Ihaven’tbeenlistening，exactly。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Youhave！Youhavebeeneavesdropping！\"
MISSREED:\"Eavesdroppingislisteningthroughakey—hole，oraroundacorner。Thisisverydifferent。Besides，it’sOliver，andhe’sbeentalkingaboutME。Hark！\"Sheclutchesherfriend’shand，wheretheyhavecroucheduponthefloortogether，andpullsherforwardtotheregister。\"Oh，dear，howhotitis！Iwishtheywouldcutofftheheatdownbelow。\"
